Wanted: One kick butt bartender (Vic)

[Ilani Moonblood]

"Sweeeeeeeeet emoooooootion. I got some sweeeeeeeeet emooooootion..."

The voice rang out through the empty expanse of the bar, clashing with Aerosmith's scratchy voice. And, given how the two people behind the bar counter winced at every high note it made, it was obvious that the owner of the voice should probably have kept her mouth shut.

Too bad for them that Ilani Moonblood could give two farts.

"God, Ilani, for all that's freaking holy..." Making a show of plugging his ears, Tommy Gallagher, her head bouncer, practically ran for the door. "You sound like a dying cat. I'm heading out before you shatter my eardrums. I'll be back for opening."

"Me too!" Scuttling after her husband, Sherry, her fill-in bartender, waved and shot out the door.

Huh. Was her singing really that bad? Damn, she'd have to remember that the next time she wanted to clear the place out.

With a laugh, Ilani kept wiping down the booths at the back of the bar. It was eleven in the morning and just about the time she'd normally be heading down to the market to stock up on food, but after last night's bachlorette party, the place needed a more thorough cleaning than her tired brain could pull off. Recruiting Tommy and Sherry with a reward of overtime, they'd managed to bring the place from 'Lord, who knew vomit could get THERE?' to something a bit more presentable.

Wiping her forehead on the back of her hand, she straightened with a happy sigh. Steel toed boots made soft thumping noises as she moved back toward the bar, plopping her rag and disinfectant onto the counter. She'd chosen neon blue for her streaks that week, and currently wore a corsette style shirt and tights, with little snarling werewolves in her hair.

Yep, she was definitely ready for 8 o'clock to come around. She loved the noise, the bikers, seeing all those happy faces as she greeted her clients outside...

Ugh, but she really did hate the back up at the bar. She did have a pretty good bartender a while back, but Pauolo liked his two hour 'smoke breaks' a bit too much.

Man, good help was really hard to find these days. Talk about her baby being a double edged sword.

[vic]

Playing the amateur detective apparently wasn’t a way of life Victor could rely on. The pay check was really crappy, especially since there was none at all. Not to mention the hours were terrible and the boss was a real pain only after results. Yeah…he should have stashed some money for a rainy day. Or for a ‘missing brother day.’

Staying in his brother’s place hoping he might show back up sometime wasn’t easy, the rent was really high for someone that had almost no money at all. But Vic wasn’t willing to leave the city until he at least found a trace of Andrei. Not to mention a cute little brunette that had caught his eye and that he wanted to see again.

Yeah, so the best idea would be to pick a job doing what he was best at. So asking around in a few bars, he discovered a place called The Pit had a spot open and that was the reason why he was there now.

So it was time to look presentable and dazzle the boss with his bartending skills. Taking a look at the rear view mirror of his bike, he rushed a hand through his hair and checked his clothing. Tshirt, leather jacket, jeans and biked boots. Since this seemed to be a biker’s hangout, it seemed he was presentable enough.

Now to dazzle the boss…

Walking towards the door just as a couple stepped outside, he asked for the owner and the job opening for bartender.

“Ilani is just inside, if you want the job talk to her.”

Nodding, he said a quick “thanks” to the couple and stepped inside. Ilani? Right, so time to dazzle Ilani.

Taking a few steps in, he was greeted by the figure of a brunette and pulled out one of his best charming smiles. “You’re Ilani? Word on the streets is that you’re looking for the best bartender out there…and well, that’s me.”

Giving a laugh to show her that he wasn’t an arrogant prick, he stepped towards her and offered his hand. “Victor Boudreaux, think I can try out for the job?”

[Ilani Moonblood]

“I…wanna rock and roll all niiiiight. AND PARTY EVERY DAY. I wanna…dude, the sign says ‘closed for a reason. Turn that fine butt around and get the hell out before I sock you good.”

Hearing footsteps behind her, Ilani didn’t even bother turning around as she snapped the words over the wail of her music. She was still wiping down the remnants of last night’s vomit-fest- if she didn’t see a check in the next few days, the newly christened ‘Mrs. Janes’ was going to get a size six shoe kicking down her door- and was none too happy about it.

But then, woohoo for her, an unfamiliar voice just had to ring out and smother ‘ol Kiss’ collective voices. Oh, how she was ready to take out her current irritation on the closest warm blooded body…

Wait, did he say bartender?

Letting the wet cloth fall onto the booth below with a plop, she turned to face the newcomer. Hello, eye candy and holy cow. It was a very good thing that she was currently thinking of no one but a certain handsome shifter, or that little piece of manly meat might have gotten himself gobbled up.

Taking her time in giving him a once over, she took in the jeans, biker garb, and pretty face. If anything, she’d get an increase in sales from the female population of the club, but looks weren’t everything.

“I dunno,” She drawled in reply to his second question. “Can you? I mean, you’ve passed the first test, but you’ve got three or four to go. Just wait right here for a minute.”

Giving him a little ‘stay’ command, she hurried over to her cell phone, texted a few buddies and scurried back to stand in front of him, hands on her hips. “Alright, number three is coming. So, Mr. Boudreux- and yeah, I’m Ilani, nicetameetya…” She grasped his hand in a firm grip, an evil little glint to her eyes. “if you don’t have a problem with an informal interview, we can start. Just tell me the first thing that comes to mind when I say these words: Celine Dion, Grateful Dead and Pamela Anderson.”

[vic]

Giving a confident smirk as she watched him, Victor couldn’t help but be amused by her reaction to him. First test? He didn’t knew applying for the job was already a test, but if he had already passed it he should be getting better at that dazzling thing than he thought.

While she moved away, his eyes did linger on her for a minute before he shook his head and forced himself to look around. He was there for a job, not to look at a cute girl, besides she might not appreciate it…and he already had his sight on a brunette he met earlier. So he let his dark eyes check the club, Vic had never worked in a place like this one, but he was sure he could handle it. He could already picture himself behind that bar.

When she moved back, he faced her again and shook her hand. “A pleasure Ilani, and I don’t have a problem with it at all,” he said a second before hearing her next question. Celine Dion, Grateful Dead and Pamela Anderson? What those three had in common? But then again she asked him to say the first thing that came to his mind when he thought of it, right?

“Sexy women and great music? Not that Celine Dion’s music would be my favorite kind of music, I’m more of a Grateful Dead kind of man.”

[Ilani Moonblood]

When she moved back, he faced her again and shook her hand. “A pleasure Ilani, and I don’t have a problem with it at all,” he said a second before hearing her next question. Celine Dion, Grateful Dead and Pamela Anderson? What those three had in common? But then again she asked him to say the first thing that came to his mind when he thought of it, right?

“Sexy women and great music? Not that Celine Dion’s music would be my favorite kind of music, I’m more of a Grateful Dead kind of man.”


Pursing her lips, Ilani weighed his answers with a dramatic silence. It was always one of the most important tests that she could give; throw out random names and judge the interviewee’s reaction. First off, she needed to know if the guy could think on his feet, or if those good looks of his were hiding a moron. Secondly, it would also be nice to see what kind of taste he had.

Guys who liked Celine Dion were either gay or very in tune with the beauty of music; either was a plus while working in The Pit. And guys who liked Pamela Anderson, at least from her experience, were more likely to run off with the big boobed bimbo giving him flirty eyes in the back than do his job. So alright, he wasn’t doing so bad. Two passing- liking the Grateful Dead was definitely a plus- and one fail.

Now, all she had to do was stall for Snakes.

“Alright, so tell me what makes you think you’d be good for The Pit?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Leaning back against a booth, she couldn’t help the small grin from forming on her lips. Hell, she really wanted to be the Bitch Boss, but she never was any good at being completely rude. Weird, wild and crazy as hell, sure, but the guy hadn’t said or done anything to warrant her being bitchy.

Well, other than say ‘beautiful’ to Pamela. Damn, if she had that lady’s body…well, that train of thought was for another time.

[vic]

Watching Ilani’s reaction to his question, he wasn’t sure if she liked his answer. She had that stern look on her face like she was sizing him up. At least he knew she was a woman of brains as much as looks and that were always good.

At her next question, he gave her a confident smile. “Because you won’t find a better bartender, be it mixing up drinks or getting a plain beer. Besides I’m hard working, have good people skills, can entertain people with some fancy tricks behind the bar if you want and I can handle trouble if needed. And I never, ever, drink in service.”

Never start a fight but always finish it.

That was what his father always told him and he had taken this lesson seriously. He had to stop a fair share of guys from acting like idiots when they had one too many to drink. Mostly he was good at calling the attention of the drunken aggressors and avoiding the punches or immobilizing them. He thought however it would be best to avoid saying he had learned to fight back from a brunette that had a life that revolved about hunting supernatural creatures. Definitively not something one should mention on a job interview.

“Now…” he added with a smile, “anything else you want to know or should I get you a drink to show just what I can do?”

[Ilani Moonblood]

Hell, she was really crappy when it came to this ‘interview’ stuff. She had no problem being a bitch to people who deserved it, or flirting a guy’s pants off to get her way- with an emphasis on the ‘flirt’ and nothing else- but to be outwardly nasty just to weed out the weak? That was her father’s territory and she wasn’t going to touch that one with a ten foot pole.

So, cue happy smiles. Especially when the rumble of a motorcycle outside had her thinking of all kinds of scenarios to come.

Listening to the guy list off his qualities, she couldn’t help the little brow quirk. Well, didn’t he know all the quirks a bartender shouldn’t have when in the service of a well-to-do establishment? Either he was telling the truth, or he was promising not to do things he’d already done in the past. Should she trust his word?

A little voice in her head started cackling insanely, and Ilani could only smile. “Well, all of that sounds real good, Vic,” She said, head tilting slightly. “But I guess I’ve just got your word on that. Why don’t we see what you’re made of behind that bar?”

Motioning toward the bar in the back, fully stocked a sporting a few clever tricks behind the counter, she started walking toward it and slid onto a stool. “Shake that fine bootay over to the bar and show me what ya got.” She paused, tapping a red painted finger against her chin. “Hmm…that reminds me; we’ve got a strict ‘fraternize and die’ rule here, and that does cover harassment. But a main thing that I look for in my employees is thick skin. ‘Cause honey, I don’t wanna be crude,” She made a show of giving him a once over, grin back on her face. “But you’re gonna be hip deep in drunk, very happy women…well, and men. So I hope you’re prepared to handle that.”

“Did I just hear someone say Ilani was crass?” A voice boomed out from the doorway, its owner moving into the bar with an easy lumber. Bones, one of her favorite bikers, moved his large body into the room and gave his friend a wide smile. Built like a linebacker, with more tats than hair, the guy was one of her most loyal testers. Eyeing Vic with a mixture of curiosity and complete manly ‘I size you up for beating later,’ he approached the bar.

Hell, if Vic couldn’t handle a mean biker, he just wasn’t cut out for the job.

[vic]

As she studied him, Victor kept that confident smirk. He was one hell of a bartender and he knew it, and that knowledge made him extremely confident on that front. He had years of experience handling alcohol and all types of drunks one could imagine. Even a drunken vampire once…he wondered if she had ever seen it. Man, that got bloody and messy real quickly…but he managed to take care of it still.

And he had worked with several types of co-workers, from the drunkard bartenders (access to alcohol while at work and alcoholic predisposition, not a good quality in a bartender and that was why he always made sure to specify he never drink at service), to the extremely flirtatious and grabby club owner that couldn’t take no for an answer, he had to strive hard to keep that woman away.

So that’s why she commented of her fraternize and die rule, Victor nodded and smiled in return. “Don’t worry, I can handle women, drunks and uh…happy men,” still he was obvious by the look in his face that he wasn’t looking forward to deal with that last one.

Stepping behind the bar, Victor took a bottle in his hands and with a smile tossed it in the air, flawlessly juggling with it as it fell back into his hands. Time to impress the boss it seemed.

But just then another voice was heard and Vic turned his head to face the newcomer who was sizing him over. He tilted his head and looked back at him with an unimpressed gaze. “Only if you said so friend,” he replied to the man’s question.

[Ilani Moonblood]

Hmm…definitely a confident little booger, she had to give him that. Grinning as Snakes seemed to grow a few inches at the flippant comeback, she had to give the guy a point or two. The last guy who’d come in looking for a job behind the bar, took one look at the biker and went right out the back way.

Then again, it was one thing to dismiss a big, scary guy like Snakes. It’d be another to see if Vic could actually hold his own. She wasn’t talking about a fight, persay…but she wanted to see how he handled situations. Mooks who wag their tongues at the customers decreased profit and ensured bar fights. But guys who knew how to disarm their opponent without bloodshed?

That’d be her kind of bartender for The Pit.

Not that this guy was already looking up. Holy cow, talk about making bottle juggling look easy.

“Nah, Snakes, that was just me talkin’,” Leaning across the bar, she watched as he tossed the bottles around like he was making a pizza. Still eyeing Vic, the biker joined her.

“Damn, Moonie, where’d you find this one?” Snakes watched as bottles flew through the air, his craggy face splitting into a smile. “We got a frikken Tom Cruise wanna-be. Yo, Tommy, gimme a whiskey, huh?”

A voice rang out from the doorway. “And a pina colada, please, honey,” Sauntering into the bar, Doreen Miller, one of The Pit’s regulars and friend to the owner, eyed Vic with a sly smile. With hourglass curves and legs that Ilani would kill for, the woman was just the person she needed to see how Vic could hold up against her female clientele. “I could use something sweet. Mmm, aren’t you a sexy addition to The Pit. What’s your name, baby?”

And proceed with Phase Three of the testing. The poor guy; he was probably thinking no job had to be worth dealing with crazy people.
Then again, he’d come there looking for a job. He had to have heard from SOMEONE that the bar was owned and frequented by what Ilani lovingly referred to as ‘the special people.’

[vic]

Never one to be intimidated by big and scary men…even when he should, Victor just glanced back at Ilani. By the look she gave the man, they were friends which were a good thing because Victor wasn’t the kind of man to stand idle when a woman was insulted, no matter how burly the man was.

Swirling a bottle on his hands, he allowed a smile to cover his lips when the man asked him to get a whiskey. “Tom Cruise is a hack, I’m the real deal friend,” he replied and gazed at Ilani. Seeing she made no notion for him not to serve the guy, he considered she was ok with it. But he was about to get to the whiskey, he heard a feminine voice and turned his head to see the source…

And talk about sexy! A woman like that could make a man loose his head in an instant. But ok, he was there for a job, so he better close his mouth before he start drooling.

Shaking his head slightly, he had his game face back on and smiled at the woman. “I’m the guy who is about to make the best piña colada you ever drank,” he said without any sign of lack of confidence. “But you can call me Victor.”

Losing no time to check the whiskey bottles behind the bar, he wondered if the guy knew what good whiskey was. By the looks of him, he highly doubted, but since he was a friend of the owner he stayed clear of the cheapest one, and the good stuff as well just so to not waste it and poured a dose, sliding to the biker.

Now to the piña colada, it was just the case of mixing the proper doses of rum, coconut cream, heavy whipping cream, pineapple juice and ice in the blender. But since his audience was female, why not to impart it a little flair? Alright, he was showing off, to both the sexy woman and his boss. Ilani seemed like a smart woman and she would know a bartender with a certain charm would attract the female clientele.

Pouring the drink with a goblet of pineapple and a straw, he served it and turned to the boss lady. Sporting a little charm was something, but he wasn’t going to make the mistake of flirting in front of the boss. Besides no matter how sexy that woman was, he was more interested in a certain dark haired doctor.

“So what about it boss, can I get you something…or did I pass the test?” Victor asked her with a sly smirk.

[Ilani Moonblood]

Snickering as Snakes just watched Vic with a squinty eyed expression on his face, Ilani leaned her elbows on the counter and watched the show. Oh yeah, this guy was definitely Pit bartender material. He’d just shut Snakes up without getting defensive- especially when he started calling the dude ‘Tommy,’ which had made the last contestant irritated as hell- and served Doreen without outright flirting.

Now, all of this could just be a façade to impress the boss lady; that she had first hand experience at. But hell, why not test the guy out? She had more spies than hair on her head, and if she let it slip to her dead friends that she was trying to keep an eye out on the newbie…

Well. She wouldn’t have an actual reason for firing the dude if he did something wrong, but she’d definitely have reports about his behavior. Speaking of which, she had to wonder how the guy would react when he finally found out, if he survived the first night. Practically all of her staff knew that she was the crazy ‘Madame Serene’ who liked to hold readings in the square on Halloween, and few of them really minded. But there were always those rare few that took one look at her so called ‘eccentricities’ and ran screaming for the hills.

Or for a .45 to serve her hide back to the devil, but she wasn’t even gonna go into that one. This Vic guy didn’t look like one of those crazies to her, anyway.

As Doreen’s smile widened after a sip of her drink, Snakes shrugged and Ed- a bartender who’d died in the 70’s after betting his friend that he could drink a flaming shot of whiskey…lit in his mouth- nodded emphatically, Ilani sighed.

“You passed it. For now,” She said with a small smile, brow raised at his smirk. “You can throw a bottle around like a pro and make nice with the pretty ladies,” She grinned as Doreen made a happy exclamation at that one. “But we’ll see how you can function when The Pit’s at its prime. Come back tonight at 7:30 and I’ll give you a trial run. If you can hack the crowds, you’re hired. If not…well, there’s a special room downstairs that I’d love to show to you.”

With a sly grin of her own, Ilani hopped off her barstool and held out her hand. “Deal?”

[vic]

The piña colada girl is really hot…focus Vic, you’re looking for a job here!

It wasn’t the first time he was trying out for a bartending job. Victor had several type of bosses before, from the stuck up guy that ended firing him when he told the guy he was acting like a jerk to his wife and that was the reason why she was trying to drag his bartender to her bed…that didn’t end well…to the cool and laid back woman who was still his friend to this day, and he knew when he was being tested.

Reaching out for Ilani’s hand with a charming smile, he gave a slight shake to her hand. “That’s a deal, boss lady. You won’t regret it.”

Did he was supposed to tell her that if a werewolf came through the door growling, he would know what to do? Hmmm better not, let’s just call that a secret bonus if something like that happened.

Stepping out of the bar he nodded to the big biker guy and smiled to the sexy women, both of them since Ilani was also sexy in her own way. A good thing his eyes were set on the brunette doctor, otherwise he might be into trouble if every woman around this place looked that tempting.

(Shall we skip ahead on the next post?)

[Ilani Moonblood]

((Sounds good to me. ^-^ Ya can just have Vic show up with zis one. ;D ))


Yes, it was a very good thing indeed. Because if there was one thing that Ilani had learned ever since The Pit had had its grand opening a year ago, this city was ripe with beautiful people. Case in point: the dude who just waltzed through the doors like he was sex on wheels. Man, talk about a guy who looked good in a turtleneck! Good thing she was currently- and very strangely- interested in a certain club owner, or she’d be all over that cute ass…

Standing on the bar as she always did when the early crowd started filing in, she called out hellos to the regulars, waved at the first timers and bellowed threats at those she knew were itching for a fight. While she didn’t mind a sanctioned match or two when she was in the mood, she just had a thing about destruction of her property. Call it a quirk.

It was only 7:00 and a line was forming outside. She liked to allow some of the early birds to file in and hang out, while the bar opened and the band set up onstage. It was always a good judge of how the night would go; this first hour of opening. If she got a wave of college kids, her bouncers would be working overtime. If there were suits and/or ‘players’ in the crowd, she’d be getting more than her fair share butt-grabs by midnight. And, God forbid, if people were already stumbling in drunk, thanks to an early party? It was time to turn on the loud music and toss some asses into the street.

Leaning sideways on a post that went from floor to ceiling through the bar counter- the building had actually been used as a strip joint before she’d waltzed in, and she liked to keep some of the old fixtures, if only for a giggle factor…like the wall lights that were boob-shaped. Now, if only she could keep frat boys from grabbing at them- she couldn’t help but stare at the door.

She really did like that guy, Vic, when he’d come in that afternoon. He was funny, confident and from the two drinks he’d made, not too bad on the bartender front. She was interested to see how he’d react to her usual crowd, and something akin to an evil smile slid onto her lips.

The Pit really wasn’t like most of the bars in town, and she prided herself on that fact. And, though she’d love to keep him, she just had to make sure that the poor guy went through the ringer tonight, if only to see if he could hack it.

[vic]

Ok it was time to get to work, and that was good because Vic could seriously use some cash. The freelance private detective thing when no one was paying him wasn’t the best way to make a living. Not to mention he hadn’t still found any lead to Andrei’s whereabouts.

And man, the line in front of the Pit was already a long one for such an early hour! Looked like he was going to have his hands full at the bar tonight. Moving past the bouncers that obviously she had mentioned already about him coming over tonight, he stepped inside and took a look around. The place seemed to be ready for business and so was he.

Spotting Ilani by the bar, he walked over to her and placed on his best confident smile. “So here I am and ready to impress the boss. Any last minutes pointers or you’re ready to have the best bartender around to handle your bar?”

Victor Boudreaux was ready for business and since she hadn’t mentioned anything about dress code, he was sporting his usual jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket combo with his long hair tied back just above his ears and sporting the usual Boudreaux family ‘genetic curse’ that caused him to look younger than he actually was. Not that it was really a curse, but caused some people to consider him as ‘the kid that just stopped wearing diapers yesterday’ at first, what quite frankly annoyed him. As it did the guy that had make that remark on the first place.

But never mind that, he had a job now and was intent to show Ilani way he had such confidence in his skills.

[Ilani Moonblood]

“Hey, Travis! Yoooo! Bennaaaaay!” Waving at her regulars, who were smart enough to show up early and get prime dancing spots near the stage, Ilani continued the nightly meet and greet with her usual enthusiasm. Free drinks were promised to a newlywed couple tasting the New Orleans nightlife, the band was greeted with just a smidgeon of whooping, and others got the usual wave and hip swirl.

Ah, she did so love her bar. There just wasn’t anything like taking a little piece of the world and calling it hers. Unlike anywhere else on the planet, she could make the rules and control the outcome. Talk about rest and relaxation.

As a familiar voice sounded from below, Ilani turned to grin down at her ‘on-trial’ bartender. “Well, lookit, you came! That’s initial points just for making it through the door, guy.”

Squatting on the counter- probably not the best idea when a girl’s in a short dress, but hell, nobody there was stupid enough to grab ass and not expect to get clubbed- she looped her arms around her knees and balanced back on her heels.

Grinning, she couldn’t help but put on a mock thoughtful look, pointedly ignoring the first part of his statement. “Hmm, let’s see, pointers…well, the most important thing is to fix the drinks and not get killed. If things get too rowdy, there’s a little button under the bar that signals Nick and his crew over. You’ll be working with Yolanda tonight, so anything that you’re unfamiliar with, ask her about…but be careful, she gets irritated really easily. Don’t get in the middle of any fights- that’s the bouncers job- and…yep, that’s it. Just go do your stuff, big boy, and we’ll see what the night brings us. So go! Get to work! Chop, chop!”

And, as if her words were an opening, the band onstage strummed their first few bars, and people started to pour in through the front doors. An hour and a half later, the room was filled with loud music, dancing people and even more thirsty patrons swamping the bar.

Presiding judge and jury over the crowd, Ilani stayed on her favorite perch on the bar, moving every now and again to let a drink pass between her feet. She danced to the music, pointed out fights to the bouncers and, all in all, had a freaking blast of a time.

Glancing back at Vic, she tried to covertly see how he was doing. Yolanda was scurrying from customer to customer, and as expected, the half the female population of the bar was crowded around the counter.

Yep, she had been right; even if the guy couldn’t handle a full club, his looks were enough to attract half of the night’s income.